Musings of Destruction: Memnus
Musings of Destruction: Memnus These are the musings of Memnus Vograine, third Grandmaster of the Searing Crusade, heralding the Third Destruction of Caer Eldin. They were scribbled down following the founding of the Second Crusade in the aftermath of the Catalcysm. The text: "It was bright that day. Brighter than normal. The sun burst across the valley, leaving little cinders in the dried up leaves. A sunbeam gleamed on the ashened remnants of old skeletons -- the last remaining evidence of the Scourge's ravaging campaigns on these lands. And then there was I, a relic of the past in my own right. The walking dead, yet clad in armor and ready for battle: Memnus Vograine, my name. I slowly approached the city gates of the mighty bastion in front of me. A true jewel in a land torn apart by conflict. It was Caer Eldin, last city of the people of Lordaeron: a testament to their resolve and hardship. And finally there was peace, after a long of time of wars against all forces wicked and evil: Forsaken, Scourge, Scarlet Crusaders... even black dragons, yes. They had seen it all. They had '''survived' it all. Or so they thought.'' As I walked into the city, I was greeted by the city guards with some contempt. Let's just say I did some things in the past I am not proud of: these men remember me from those dark times. Yet, those days were behind me. I had succesfully buried the past; I truely believed this as I walked around the city. But then - all of sudden - the feeling returned. The green hue of fel magic, calling out to me. Slow, dark whispers in my head, I had not heard for a long time, echooing away deep inside the crest of my skull. I then realised something was terribly wrong. The bright sky, turning ever more greener. Green cinders swirling from the sky, leaving small green burnmarks on my armor. And a dark green aura, growing inside of me. Demons! I gazed up at the sky, merely seeking to confirm that which I already knew. Infernals were swirling from the sky, crashing all around me, leaving devastating conflagrations in their wake. I readied my blades, preparing to defend myself. All around me was chaos: soldiers running to claim their weapons, women and children seeking shelter in corners lit up by flames. But there was no running from this, I knew. Demons know no mercy; they are warmachines bent upon destruction and death. The only defence here was an offensive stance. And so I charged, my instincts taking over. What happened after that is still a blur to me. I only remember the haze of pure hatred that left me unbridled -- savage almost -- in my resolve. Small figments of the mind: soldiers around me, dying in flame and darkness, stone and wood burning, falling to the ground. Burning corpses: demon and men alike. I do not know how many demons I killed that day, only that it were many. What I do know is that many good people died that day, something I cannot forget -- no, prohibit myself from forgetting. My own blood may very well be amongst the casualties that day. And this realization eats at me; my mind weeps at every waking moment, my body is tense and full of rage. For deep inside, I '''knew '''this was all my fault. My past had come back to haunt me, in living person. My tampering with dark secrets, fel magic, had all led to this - this slaughter, this merciless slaughter, which had left so many innocent people dead. So I '''must' focus', '''use my rage and sorrow to prepare. The demons '''must' pay, shall 'pay: this I vow to all of you, spirits of the fallen. My dear brother, Baldor, my blood, Caliphus. All those nameless Legionaires and Crusaders, their ashes feeding the soil of Caer Eldin. Even the land itself, scarred and ruined by ages of war -- and recently -- flames of the merciless dark. It must be avenged. For only then, my soul can find peace, and with it, all the souls of the fallen -- burning eternally in the great Void. If anything, this attack was just the beginning. Daemons do not rest; they tally, prepare. Carnage is their only intent, the undoing of all life: a universe burning in green flame. ''And this cannot be allowed. The green flame must be extinguished. '''He who plays with fire, gets burned!"''